Rented Happiness

Her fingers are clutched refusing to open to feel my fingers. Her curly hair slightly waved in the mild gush of the wind coming through the window. She looked calm yet stubborn showing reluctance to know her new world. I mildly played with the fragile curls of hair without letting her wake up from sleep. The serenity created by the nature to put a baby asleep made me wonder about the mysteries unknown to human beings. Her foot looked like a strawberry pastry with tiny toes as almond slices. Her fragile body made the mother inside me blow off completely.

I looked at her closely to find whether she has any of my traits. She looked exactly like her Father inheriting every physical feature of him. She has a broader forehead, tiny pointed nose and narrow chin exactly like her Father’s. Her fingers are long and thin. Every time he touched me with his long and thin fingers, they gave shivers of pleasure and happiness. His hands are strong and his chest is warm. The only thing she took over from me is the habit of sleeping on his chest tightly hugging him. I leaned over her and softly kissed on her cheeks. Did she smile in her sleep when I kissed or was it just an illusionary prejudice?

“Ragini, how many times I have told you not to sit next to the baby in your dirty clothes?” Her Mother shouted at me and my smile faded away in air.

“Go to kitchen and do your work.” She held the door opened for me to walk out of the room. I looked back at the baby once and slowly walked away.

He stood outside the room and said nothing. I didn’t want to look at him.

And that night when he knocked on my door, I lay down as if I didn’t hear any knocks.